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Transocean Air Lines 1946 - 1960

The men and women of Transocean Air Lines helped make modern air transport possible for todays world.

For lots of information, photos and stories... ...visit Transocean Air Lines Alumni Web Site
Many books have been written either about or involving the airline, its service or its people.
For information on these visit TransOcean Airlines Fame

At its height, the Transocean organization included 10 companies, making it the first aviation conglomerate. The airline itself employed 2.200 persons. Including the personnel of its subsidiary companies, the total number exceeded 6,700. Transocean’s gross annual sales climbed as high as 50 million dollars.

By April 1958, after 12 years of business, Transocean’s aircraft had flown a total of 1,290,966,900 passenger miles, 126,990,642 cargo ton-miles, and 66,828,237 aircraft miles – the equivalent of more than 135 round-trips to the moon!

The Birth of Transocean...Ralph Lewis, By Dead Reckoning, Paladwr Press

Word that a new airline was in the offing spread quickly with Captain Nelson's first call, and the response was overwhelming. Looking for employment and happy that the war was over, applicants from all branches of the armed services rushed to the Oakland Airport, hoping to land a job with this fledgling airline. I remember seeing the long rag-tag line that stretched away from the International Terminal Building, out the door, down the steps, and all the way back to the airport restaurant, a distance of a hundred yards or more. Many were in civilian clothes but others, still wearing various military uniforms, were trailing duffel bags.

Yes, indeed, those were halcyon days. We were all young and overflowing with enthusiasm for what we saw as a chance to break ground with a new airline. We wanted to have our place in the sun as pioneers and innovators. The romance and promise of commercial flying ... the excitement and exuberance of this bunch of young hopefuls would provide the spirit that was soon to become Transocean Air Lines.